Tire-chain tightener and lock.



"-Gnovnn c. ounrnnn., or mw YORK, n; Y.

n TIRE-CHAIN TIGHTENER AND LOCK.

-Specicaton of Letters lPatent.

Patented Augu 2*?, i938.

Application led May 1S, 191'?. Serial No. 169544:.

i To all whomet may concern.' 4

-plily and improve devices of this characlili Be it known that I, GRovERC. CUR'rNER, a

citizen of. the United States, residing at New York, in the county ofNew York and State of New York, have invented certain .new and usefulImprovements in Tire-Chain rlighteners and Locks, of which the followingis a specification.

This invention relates to tire chain tight eners and locks, and aimsprimarily to simter.

A further object of the invention is` to provide .a locking device forthe ends of vehicle tire chains, which is so constructed and arrangedthat when properly applied to a chain upon a vehicle wheel, danger ofthe lockbecoming accidentally opened will be obviated. .A further objectis to provide a lock of this character which is arranged so as tominimize the opportunity for the lock to become opened when the wheelistraveling through a depression or rut in the roa Still further objectsreside in providing a lock of the type mentioned which is of eX- tremelylsimple and inexpensive construction, which is composed of but fewreadily assembled parts, which is featured bythe lack of complicatedmechanism, which has its vparts so assembled as to minimize theopportunity `for wear, breakage, or derangement, which is easy andsiriple of o eration, and which will prove thoroughly e cient in the.attainment of the ends for which it is y designed.

With these objects in view together with v others 4which, will rappearas the description proceeds, the invention resides in the novelformation, combination, and arrangement of parts, all as will bedescribed-'more fully a chain,

hereinafter, illustrated ,in the drawings, and

particularly pointed out in the claim.

ln the drawings: o l Figure 1 is' a. side elevation of a tire chaintightener constructed 'in accordance with the invention, .the viewyillustrating the manner in which the fastener is applied to Fig. 2 is `atop 1view thelnechanism Fig. 3 is a sectional vien/taken upon lined-3 noflig. 1,2 J

rig. 4 is a .detail link attaching clevis,

hook block, e y

Fig. 6 is a side elevation of a fastener emhodying a slightly modiliedform of the inf a further modified forni of tightener..

perspecctive view of the Fig. 5 vis a detail perspective viewof the.

is a sectional view taken on line 1n carrying out the invention, ametallic f bar 5 vis used, which lhar constitutes the block hereinafterreferred to, and'is notched adjacent one end and upon its upper edge asat 6. These notches have their walls un'- gularly inclined as shown, andconstitute hooks to receivt lone end of the tire chain with whieh theimproved lock is to be used.

'll-he endiof thel block 5 remote n from the hook portion is aperturedas atv 7, and receives a pivot pin 8. IThis pin 8 edects a pivotalconnection between the block 5 and one end of a lever 9; The lever isccnstructed preferably of relativelythin ,sheet metal, andis bentlongitudinally as shown, so as to fit snugly over the block 5 when swungin one direction upon thelatter. The sides of the lever 9 at the freeends thereof are cutv away as at 10, so that the said level` will notengagea chain link resting within either of the notches 6 of the hase. n

The side walls of the block 5 are provided with depressions 1l, and thecorresponding portions of the side walls .of the lever 9 are similarlyformed, as indicated at l2. The

inwardly projecting portions 12 of the 'lever are adapted to snapwithinthe 'depressions 'il on the base, to hold the `lever and hasev in closedoir-interlocking iosition.

links in the present instanceiareconnected at their outer ends by.a'pi'n 15, and one end Projecting outwardly rein the sides of the lever9 are trunnions 13, over which are' engaged theinner ends of links laThe j of a'tire chain may hef attachedtothis connectingpin, Thetrunnionsy :13 are so posi? tioned upon the sides lof thelever .9 vthatwhen the'latteris. swungdownju on theflblock 5 the said' trunnionswilllhdisposed Cyl toms of the recesses or notches 6. In the, preferredemlmdiment of the invention, the trunnions are, `formed b v turningoutwardly the extremities of a U-shaped clevs 16, the latterstiaddling,` the lever 9 inwardly from the ends thereof. and .beingsecured to the said lever by a screw or rivet li'.

In the modified form of the invention illustrated in Fig". l onilt theuse ot' the @levis 1G. and provide the downwardly eX- teding portions olthe lever 5) with outwardly projecting bosses 2l). These bosses arerecessed, and receive the inturned ends of a link 21. ln that forni ot'the invention illust-rated in Figs. (v and 7, the links ll arepiv'otally secured to the downwardly extending sides of the -lever .9 byrivets In plrac'tice, the improved chain tightener and lock may be usedwith chain locks now employed ormav be used entirely independ ent ofsuch locks. One end of the tire chain is connected to the free end ot'the links` '14 or 20,' while the. opposite end of the tire Chain isengaged in either of the notches U on the block. The lever 9 is thenswung upon its pivot 8 until it passes over and incloses the block 5.The outer end of the lever prevents Working loose of the chain link fromthe reee-sses, and after the trunnions orv bosses 13 or 20 have passedbelow the plane ot' the pivot 8 and recesses 6, the lever will be lockedagainst accidental outward swingin uuivement.

'hile the present disclosure that, 0f what is believed to be thepreferred embodimenty ot' the invention. it is to be understood that theinvention .is not limited thereto, but

that various changes may be niade, in the construction, arrangement, andproportion of parts, wit-hout departing troni the spi-rit oftheinvention as defined in the appended claim.

lVhat is claimed ist* t 1n a device ol the class described, a blockformed with a pluralityot' notches at one end, a lever, including a pairo't' contiguous members spaced and connected along' one ot' their edges.to receive the block therebe.

CHARLES F. VVILCOX.

